System for operating hatchway covers



Feb. 20, 1968 J. B. OLSSON 3,369,590

SYSTEM FOR OPERATING HATCHWAY COVERS Filed Feb. 21, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A FIG! INVENTOR- Jo/v am Berfzil. 0L sson WW X 1 Feb. 20, 1968 J. B. OLSSON SYSTEM FOR OPERATING HATCHWAY COVERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 21, 1966 n ma 5 N5 L 0 w.

L In r 8 B n a In 0 J W & PMAW United States Patent 3,369,590 SYSTEM FOR OPERATING HATCHWAY COVERS Johan Bertil Olsson, Goteborg, Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Gotaverken, a Swedish company Filed Feb. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 528,848 Claims priority, application Sweden, Mar. 5, 1965, 2,894/ 65 2 Claims. (Cl. 160-188) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLQSURE A hatch cover composed of a series of at least three hingedly interconnected sections is operated by means of a single torque-producing device which is freely rotatably supported in bearings on a hatch beam extending across the hatch opening. One outermost section in the series is connected to a side of the coaming parallel to the beam, and two further sections, the upper sides of which are facing each other when in open position, are attached to the cylinder and to the shafts, respectively, of the torqueproducing device.

This invention relates to a system for operating hatchway covers comprising at least three cover sections which are articulated to each other and upon being raised are folded into zig-zag form. The object of the invention is to bring about the required movements for operating the cover by as few mechanical actuating means as possible and further to avoid the necessity of lifting the actuating means so as to eliminate unnecessary loads.

Among other things it has been suggested to provide torque producing devices between the cover sections which after having been raised have their undersides facing each other. In such a system the torque producing devices have to be lifted from the coaming simultaneously with the cover. According to another system the cover sections which after having been raised have their upper sides facing each other are articulated to a beam extending across the hatchway and having wheels adapted to run on treads at the hatch coaming. In this system mechanical lifting means are inserted between the beam and the adjacent cover sections. This system sufiers from the inconvenience that a plurality of separate lifting means is required which makes it difiicult to synchronize the movements of the lifting means and is likely to result in unsymmetrical pulls on the cover.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention aims at an improvement and simplication of the hatchway cover operating system of the last-named type and is characterized by a single torque producing device comprising a hydraulic cylinder and rotary shafts extending from both ends thereof, bearing means on the beam extending across the hatch opening, said bearings carrying the cylinder of the torque-producing device in parallel relation to the beam and freely rotatable thereto, means to attach one section of a pair having their upper sides facing each other in raised position to the cylinder of the torque-producing device and further means to attach a second section of said pair to the shafts of said torque-producing device, and hinge means to connect one outermost section in the'series to one side of the coaming parallel to the beam.

An embodiment of the invention is described hereinbelow with reference to the annexed drawings in which FIG. 1 is a lateral elevation of a hatchway cover consisting of four cover sections shown in raised positions, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cover shown in FIG. 1 and a cross beam associated therewith, FIG. 3 is a partly sectional View from above of the cover together with the cross beam shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, FIG. 4 is a sectional "ice view along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3 of the-cross beam and adjacent parts of the cover sections with the cover in lowered position, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 with the cover in raised position.

The hatchway cover to be described consists of four cover sections 1, 2, 3 and 4. The section 1 is by means of a hinge 5 articulated to the coaming 6 around the hatchway. The free end of the section 4 rests on wheels 7 adapted to run on treads 8 disposed on the inside of the coaming 6. The sections 1 and 2 as well as the sections 3 and 4 are interconnected by hinges 9 and 10, respectively, such that the undersides of the sections in raised positions are facing each other.

Extending across the hatchway is a box-shaped beam 11 which at its ends has wheels 12 adapted to run on the treads 8 on the inner sides of the hatchway coaming 6. The cover sections 2 and 3 are articulated to each other by means of pivots 13 extending through attachment lugs 14 on the respective cover sections and through vertical bearing plates 15 on the beam 11. By means of bearing plates 17 a hydraulic torque producing device 16 is freely rotatably mounted on the beam 11 longitudinally thereof. The torque producing device comprises a double-acting piston and cylinder structure in which the reciprocating motion of the piston by means of helical splines can be converted into a rotary motion of shafts centrally projecting from both ends of the torque producing device 16. Secured to these rotary shafts are radial arms 19, and secured to both ends of the cylindrical casing of the torque producing device 16 are radial arms 18 in concentric relation to the arms 19. The torque producing device 16 is sunk between the cover sections so as to be protected and to make the upper side of the cover plane. Since the pivots 13 are disposed near the upper sides of the cover sections, they are located above the axis of the torque producing device 16 and offset from the axis of rotation of the arms 18, 19. For this reason the arms cannot be rigidly connected to the cover sections 2, 3 but are articulated thereto by means of links 20 and 21, respectively, which are mounted on pivots 22 secured to the cover sections 2 and 3.

The mode of operation of the system is as follows.

If the cover is in its lowered position according to FIG. 4 and fluid under pressure is supplied into the torque producing device 16 the arms 18 and 19 will be turned upwards against each other and exert a pull on the links 20, 21 and thereby turn the cover sections 2 and 3 upwards about the pivots 13. At the same time the sections 1 and 4 are also raised and the cover is folded as shown in FIG. 1 while the beam 11 is travelling to the left because the section 1 is secured to the hatchway coaming 6. In order to prevent the free end of the section 4 from hanging freely during the last part of the upward movement, the tread 8 has a sloping portion 23 on which the wheel 7 rests. The torque producing device is constructed such that the turning motion of each arm is limited to Due to the fact that the torque producing device is doubleacting the raising and lowering speed can be varied at will.

In some cases part only of the hatchway is to be uncovered. If the cover sections 1 and 2 are locked in lowered positions the activated torque producing device will only turn the arm 19 so as to raise the sections 3 and 4. If instead the sections 3 and 4 are locked and the hinge 5 is detached from the coaming 6 the sections 1 and 2 will be raised and uncover the left half of the hatchway.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described. For instance, the hydraulic torque producing device may be replaced by mechanically or electrically attuated devices operating in the same manner. It is only important to have the torque producing device located on the movable beam 11 so that the cover sections are not subjected to any load from this device.

The beam 11 may form a narrow cover section on a level with the other cover sections in which case the torque producing device is located above the plane of the sections. In this modification the tread for the wheels 12 is advantageously located on a level with the upper side of the coaming 6.

What I claim is:

1. Operating means for a hatch cover for a hatch opening, said cover being composed of a series of at least three hingedly interconnected sections adapted to be raised and lowered in zig-zag configuration by means of a torqueproducing device comprising: a hydraulic cylinder and rotary shafts extending from both ends thereof; a hatch beam extending across the hatch opening and arranged below the plane occupied by the sections, when in closed position; rails at two opposite sides of the hatch opening to permit sliding movement of the beam along said sides; bearing means on the hatch beam carrying the cylinder of said torque-producing device in parallel relation to the beam and freely rotatable thereto; means attaching one section of a pair of sections having their upper sides facing each other in raised position of the torque-producing device; further means attaching a second of said pair of sections to the shafts of the torque-producing device; hinge means connecting one outermost section of the series to one side of the hatch opening parallel to the hatch beam; said operating means being further characterized by hingemeans connecting the sections to the beam; the hinge means for each section having a pivot axis offset from the longitudinal axis ofthe torque-producing device; arms extending in radial directionfrom each of the shafts and from the cylinder, respectively, towards said sections; and a link interconnecting each arm with the pertaining section substantially at the plane of the arm.

2. Operating means according to claim 1, in which the References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,930,434 3/1960 Englesson 160-188 3,056,386 10/1962 Aarvold et al 160-188 X 3,196,932 7/1965 Rosendahl 160188 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

PETER M. CAUN, Assistant Examiner. 

